The inspirational teacher Jaime Escalante, who inspired the film Stand and Deliver, has died at the age of 79 after battling bladder cancer for a number of years.
This video shows a well-known scene from the film telling the story of how Escalante turned an East Los Angeles school around by persevering with the kids who many had previously written off as failures.
Escalante emigrated to the U.S. from his native Bolivia, studied English, and gained his teaching credentials before embarking on the mission he is best known for – teaching inner-city school kids calculus, proving that there are no lost causes.
In 1988 came Stand and Deliver, a film based on Escalante’s work in L.A. Edward James Olmos played the man himself.
Escalante is survived by his wife, two sons, and six grandchildren.
